Ford Bronco vs. Land Rover Defender: Two reboots go head to head

[MUSIC]. Well, it's been a few days since Ford released the new Bronco and it's safe to say we're all just a little bonkers over it. Sure we haven't driven it but from what we know the new pony looks to be a killer all the way around. But how does it stack up against another remounted offroader the Land Rover Defender The original conquered half the world in its day, but can the new one hold its own against the latest bucking bronco. Let's take a look at overall size, offer geometry, power train utility and of course price. For this compare, we're going with the four door version of each. So the defender 110, and the bronco four door The Bronco can vary in size depending on trim. So we've picked the bad lens motor with sales watch offer a package. The two SUVs are actually pretty close in size with the Bronco having a wheel base of 116.1 inches, the Defender a bit longer at 119 inches. Overall length, not including that spare tire in the Bronco is a 190.5 inches. The same spec on the Defender is 187.3. Overall width of the Bronco with mirrors folded is 76.3 inches, while the Defender is a bit poor here at 79.1 inches, mirrors folded. Finally the top of the Bronco is 76.3 inches off the ground, while the Defender is a little bit taller at 77.4 inches. I'm going to give the win here to the bronco as overall it's just a smidge smaller, less chance of brushing up against trees and foliage on the trail and that shorter wheelbase should make for a tighter turning radius and a better break-over angle. When it comes to offloading, a good indication of capability is the angles. The higher the approach departure and breakover angles are the less likely you are to get stuck helping achieve great angles our big tires. The Bronco with the Sasquatch package can be had with 35 inch size 315 70 Goodyear territory tires wrapped around 17 inch wheels The Defender goes decidedly smaller, with 32 inch size 255/70 Goodyear Wrangler duratrac tires on 18 inch wheels. Not surprisingly, the bronco goes big with 11.5 inches of ground clearance, 43.2 degrees of approach angle, 26.3 degrees of breakover angle. [MUSIC] And 37 degrees departure angle. Further it can forward 33.5 inches of water. But the defender has a trick up its British cuff air suspension. At full offroad height the defender can match the Broncos ground clearance of 11.5 inches. The approach angle is 38 degrees. breakover angle is 28 degrees and departure angle is 40 degrees. It can cross water up to 35.4 inches deep. That's really hard to pick a winner here. I mean the defender best the bronco in a few key areas, but the bronco with its larger tires should just have an easier time of it. Plus, I'm not really sure how much I trust that air suspension on the defender. Anecdotally I've seen air suspension take a dive on the trail and the mechanical setup on the bronco is easier to fix if it all goes self. Both the bronco and the defender offer a four and six cylinder engine, the base engine and the bronco is a 2.3 liter EcoBoost inline four cylinder engine. Good for projected 270 horsepower and 310 pound feet. Feet of torque. It's paired with a 7 speed manual transmission standard, that includes 6 gears and 1 crawler gear, or drivers can opt for a 10 speed automatic. The Defenders base engine, is a turbocharged 2 liter inline four cylinder engine, with 296 horsepower and 295 pound feet of torque. This mill has made it to an 8 speed automatic transmission. Of course if you wanna upsize your power, you can get a 2.7 liter EcoBoost V6 pushing out a projected 310 horsepower and 400 pound feet of torque in the bronco. The 10 speed automatic transmission is the only transmission available for that larger engine. Defender owners can go big with a mild hybrid turbocharged three liter inline six-cylinder engine. Rated for 395 horsepower and 406 pound-feet of torque. Like the smaller mill, only an 8-speed automatic gets the power to the pavement. Spec wise, these engines are fairly well-matched. I'm inclined to give it to the Bronco for its inclusion of a 7-speed manual transmission. But the bummer is that you cannot the manual with all of the offered goodies of the Saskwatch package. So in the end at least until I drive both of them back to back, I'm gonna call this one a draw as well. [MUSIC] When it comes to utility there is a runaway winner here. The Bronco can tow 3500 pounds and take in max pay load of 1370 pounds Pounds. However, the Defender has more than twice the towing capacity at 8,201 pounds, and it can handle 1,984 pounds of payload. Those are fantastic numbers for an SUV, point to the Defender. [MUSIC] However, the Bronco is not made by a luxury manufacturer like Land Rover, and the price reflects that. Afforded a bronco starts at $34,695, including $1,495 for destination, while the four door defender comes in starting at $50,925 and that includes $1,025 per destination. However remember we're talking about the bronco in Badlands trim, and that starts at $46,085 including destination, and we still don't know how much that Sasquatch package is going to cost. So while the bronco is less expensive, it's not the runaway victory as it was first seen. It's really tough to make a call here folks I mean the bronco wins in size and price but it just loses big time and utility. Further it merely ties the defender in power trains and offered geometry so you'll have to look at other non number based features. Well both have independent suspension in the front. The Bronco at least has a solid rear axle while the defender continues the independent suspension to the rear. However that does make the defender pretty comfortable on the road and we really don't know the pavement right quality of the Bronco yet The same for infotainment system will most likely be easier to use than what you can find in the defender. However, the defender is also offered with the choice of for accessory packs to support drivers lifestyles. In the end, it may just come down to design. The Broncos designers did an excellent job of capturing the nostalgia of the original while imbuing it with a sense of the modern The Defender well there's some nods to the old one in the rear end and the roofline but man that face sure is polarizing. In the end I'd likely pick the Bronco mostly for the design and because I'm not a fan of the air suspension. Obviously my opinion might change once I get the chance to drive the Bronco but based on the spec sheet and the information I have, I'm gonna go with the Ford But I wanna know where you stand. Let me know in the comments and let me know what other vehicles you wanna see compared.[BLANK AUDIO]